"Jcarr" (jcarr)
06/26/2014 at 16:16 • Filed to: Planelopnik
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"Jcarr" (jcarr)
06/26/2014 at 16:16 • Filed to: Planelopnik | 9
| 9 |
Take a B-57, double the wingspan, replace the Wright J65s with Pratt & Whitney TF-33s, throw a set of F-15 landing gear on and what do you have?
The WB-57F.
Just saw this on the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Totally looking forward to seeing this thing up close.
ttyymmnn
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 16:26 |
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THAT would be something to see. I'm jealous.
NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 16:33 |
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That is very cool! If I remember correctly, this was one of the original winners of the high-altitude surveillance contest for the Air Force. Lockheed was not invited to bid, but found out about the competition and went in unsolicited with a proposal for what became the U-2, which was originally rejected by the Air Force but funded by the CIA.
Chris Clarke
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 16:34 |
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Hope I get to see it fly.
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Jcarr
> NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
06/26/2014 at 16:36 |
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I believe so. I think the success of the U-2 is what ultimately canned the RB-57, but NASA kept 3 around for other use.
DoYouEvenShift
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 16:56 |
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I had no idea this thing existed, thanks for sharing.
Diesel
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 17:00 |
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I've seen all 3 up close. They are quite a site to behold. And of course I can't find any potato pictures. Time to clean out my cache of crap photos.
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Diesel
> Jcarr
06/26/2014 at 17:37 |
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Here's a nice FYI. The planes produce so much lift, they can lift off at idle.
user314
> NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
06/26/2014 at 20:28 |
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According to this, the RB-57A was developed as a stopgap until the U-2 (which was behind schedule) was ready.
http://youtu.be/B7C7soGMIhY?t=…
Also, what killed the early RB-57s was metal fatigue. They did a great job adapting the plane, but the wings were still the weak point. SAC retired their RB-57Ds s after about five years due to the wings falling off two planes after landing.
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NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
> user314
06/26/2014 at 21:27 |
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That's pretty interesting...though from what I've read the B-57 derivative was already identified as the quickest way to get a high-flying jet even before the U-2 was proposed. And the Air Force originally didn't want the U-2; for their "real" high altitude surveillance bird they wanted two engines and guns, neither of which the U-2 has. :-)
iirc, the Air Force issued its RFP for the high-altitude surveillance plane in 1953, and the U-2 first flew in 1955. Kelly Johnson promised he'd have the plane flying eight months after the contract was signed, but it actually took nine. Of course, that's because they were already investing some of Lockheed's money in developing it before they got the contract. :-)
I think maybe the documentary is commingling some of the A-12 history with the U-2; there wasn't nearly as much new technology required for the U-2, because it was cleverly based on the existing F-104 Starfighter but with enormous wings. They did mess around with some weird ways to evade radar, but those didn't seem to work out. Not that the problems were trivial, but they weren't of the same magnitude.
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy who likes studying this stuff, but I got a lot of information from the recently-declassified history of the U-2 and Oxcart programs written by the CIA. Which if you're into this stuff, is a terrific read:
http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/…
All that aside, I really want to see a WB-57 in person!